Category: LEAD ARTICLE

Risale-i Nur is such a strong tafseer, which expresses, explains, and proves the truths of faith of the Qur’an with strong evidence and proof, that it silences the most obstinate philosophers who deny the existence of Allah Subhanahu wa Taʿala. By Altınbaşak Academic Research Board Commentary is described shortly as, “Exploring, expressing and showing the secret meanings of the Holy Qur’an.” Abu Hamid Al Ghazali compares the Holy Qur’an to an ocean without a shore. There are pearls, rubies and jewels in the deep of this vast ocean. The Commentary…

The Dial Watch Issue in the Treatise of Mi’raj (Ascension): The Physics of Time and Space Though modern science keeps metaphysical phenomena out of its domain of research and indeed Islam does not necessarily need the endorsement of science to validate its principles, it is very interesting to observe that recent findings in modern physics give clues about the theoretical possibility of the Mi’raj of the Prophet (PBUH). While explaining the lofty aspects of the Mi’raj (the ascension of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) to the heavens) in his treatise on…

As a work on the philosophy of naturalism’s pitfalls and fallacies, the Treatise on Nature of Imam Nursi is very effective in revealing the inner workings of this intellectually poisonous ideology. When Bediuzzaman went to Ankara in November 1922, he noticed that an appalling idea of irreligion was spreading in the parliament and that there was a secret plot against the very foundations of belief. Ziya Gokalp, an ideologue of the modern Turkish Republic, was one of the people who was working privately to spread these irreligious ideas. Said Nursi…

In the face of regime’s oppression Risale-i Nur movement has adopted the positive attitude as a way of existence and performing service to faith. The positive attitude in Risale-i Nur movement can be defined briefly as follows: To carry out our service without causing chaos, anarchy or violence, infringing the security and rights of other people and focusing on our duty with patience and endurance without being persistent about the results which are determined by will of Allah (SWT). Positive attitude means to establish the peaceful and safe atmosphere in which…

Basirat (insight) used in Islamic sources has a different connotation than when it is used as a term in secular contexts. By that word, a kind of spiritual faculty is meant which is associated with the heart. One of the words which is equivalent of the ‘eye’ in Arabic is ‘basar’ (بصر). The Qur’an says as follows while depicting the stages in the Judgement Day in verse 22 of surah Qaf, “and now We have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp”. The word which is…

Imam Nursi, after living a life full of struggle to save the faith of the people and to defeat the materialist ideology, left behind a service which is now illuminating the paths of millions of people. Imam Bediuzzaman Said Nursi was born in Nur village of Bitlis province in the eastern part of Turkey in 1877. Thanks to his extraordinary intelligence and memory, Allah (SWT) granted that he complete his education in the Islamic disciplines, which normally takes fifteen years, in a much shorter time and he took his diploma…

The Problems of Balkan Muslims: A General Evaluation By Adnan İsmailî, Skopje Introduction The Balkan peninsula is a frontier zone extending between Europe and Asia which faces North Africa from its sea borders. That region is comprised of the following countries; Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Albania, Macedonia, Kosovo, Montenegro, Serbia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia and Slovenia. The last seven countries were the members of Federal Republic of Yugoslavia which was disintegrated in 1990s. With collapse of communism and the disintegration of Yugoslavia, the Balkan Muslims were faced with new problems. We…

The emergence and running of the universe: cause and effect or a divine power? “Warm air near the Earth’s surface tends to absorb moisture in the form of invisible water vapor from bodies of water, moist ground, and from plants. Warm moisture-laden air is inherently unstable and tends to rise. Clouds are formed when the air is lifted and cooled to saturation temperature which is also known as the dewpoint temperature. The altitude of the saturation level determines the altitude of the cloud base. The vapor begins to condense onto…

Islamic theology (Kalaam) tried to prove God’s existence only emphasizing on mind, and did not dwell on marifatullah (knowing Allah),. Mysticism (Tasawwuf) by contrast, did not focus on proving the existence of God, but on marifatullah, muhabbatullah (love of Allah), and spiritual tastes (lazzat-i ruhaniya), and moved by heart and spiritual journey Risale-i Nur, combining the mind and the heart, proved God’s existence via the mind, as well as using heart, and focusing on muhabbatullah and marifatullah. We can say that Risale-i Nur in this context, combines theology (Kalaam) and…

The activity of invitation to Islam has been described in a tafseer1 based upon the principles expressed in the verses of the Qur’an and hadiths. Reading those, we can highlight some principles. For me, the following are the most important ones of these principles: 1. To start with faith as it is the essence of the religion. 2. To explain the truths of faith from a viewpoint convincing both the mind and the heart. 3. To live what we say so as to make our words influential. 4. To act…